John Wooden Might Be the Most Quotable Figure in the Entire Field of Talent Development
A collection of John Wooden quotes on explanation, demonstration, imitation, and repetition as the core of talent development.
Want to get notified about new posts? Join the mailing list and follow on X/Twitter.
John Wooden might be the most quotable figure in the entire field of talent development:
“The 4 laws are explanation, demonstration, imitation, and repetition. The goal is to create a correct habit that can be produced instinctively under great pressure. To make sure this goal was achieved, I created eight laws of learning, namely, explanation, demonstration, imitation, repetition, repetition, repetition, [repetition], and repetition.”
“I could track the practice routines of every single player for every single practice session he participated in while I was coaching him”
“When you improve a little each day, eventually big things occur. … Not tomorrow, not the next day, but eventually a big gain is made. Don’t look for the big, quick improvement. Seek the small improvement one day at a time. That’s the only way it happens—and when it happens, it lasts.”
“I learned to be concise and quick and didn’t string things out. … I never had a lot of meetings and things of that sort. I wanted short things during the practice session.”
“You just don’t throw material out for someone to get, as I’ve heard some college professors say. I had a discussion with an English professor at UCLA. … When we began to discuss teaching, [the professor] indicated that he was there to dispense material and students were to get it. And I said ‘I thought you were there to teach them.’ He said, ‘No, no, college students should be getting it themselves. Maybe in the lower levels they’re taught [but not when they get to university].’ And I said, ‘Well I think you’re always teaching.’”
All these quotes are cited in “What a Coach can Teach a Teacher, 1975-2004: Reflections and Reanalysis of John Wooden’s Teaching Practices” (Gallimore & Tharp, 2004).
Want to get notified about new posts? Join the mailing list and follow on X/Twitter.